Wrench.



H. B. BUSH.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. I9I4.

Patented Nov. 16, 191.5.

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HAZEL B. BTISil-I OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. ic, i915.,

Application filed October 28, 1914. Serial No. 869,008.

To all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, HAZEL B. BUSH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lVrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to make an adjustable wrench with an automatic locking device which will allow the movable jaw to be usted tightly against the nut and hold the jaw so that it will not work loose, and which may be readily unlocked for moving the jaw backward; and my invention consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure l is a ing the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is an edge View as seen looking in the direc? tion indicated by the arrows 2 in Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on a plane parallel with Fig. 1 and on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the locking device as seen looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 4 in Fig. 1, the handle and jaws being omitted.

The head 1 is rigid with the handle 2 and the jaw 3 and in the-construction shown these three parts are cast or drop-forged in a single piece. A dove-tailed slot 4 is formed through 'the head l at right angles to the face 5 of the rigid jaw 3. The adjustable jaw 6 has a face 7 parallel with the face 5. The dove-tailed arm 8 is. rigid with the movable jaw 6 and fits in the dove-tailed slot 4, said arm being notched to form' a screw rack 9. A rectangular opening 10 is formed throughthe head 1 transversely of the dove-tailed slot 4 and the adjusting screw 11 is mounted upon the pin 12 in the opening 10 in mesh with the rack 9, s o that as the screw 11 is rotated, the jaw 6 is moved to or from the jaw 3. The periphery of the screw thread 13 upon the screw 11 is transversely notched to form the ratchet teeth 14, thus j iroducing a rough surface for rotating the screw.

In operating the wrench thus produced the jaw (3 will not stand against the nut but will continually work loose thus requiring continual rc adjustment. Furthermore, there isv nothing to show the operator which plan of a wrench emb0dy.

y the spring 15 to release the way to turn the adjusting screw except to watch the movement of the movable jaw and often the operator will move the jaw in the wrong direction. It is my purpose to overcome these objections'.

The flat spring 15 is secured tothe handle 2 some distance from the head 1 by a screw or rivet 16 and the free end of the spring is bent to form an arin 17 which extends through the opening 10 to the pawl 18.which engages the teeth 14 when the free end of the springl moves outwardly from the handle, and whenY the freeend of the spring 15 is pressed against the handle, thepawl 18 is out of engagement with the teeth 14. The spring 15 is upon the lower or back side of the handle 2 when the wrench is right side up in the right hand of the operator, as in Figs.v 1 and 2, and when the operators hand is in the -positionshown'in Fig. 2: the thumb will engage the teeth 14 to rotate the screw 11 and if the spring 15 is left free to operate, the screw 11 will-only rotate in the direction to .move the jaw 6 against the nut and the pawl 18 will hold the screw lfrom rotating backward, thereby holding the jaw 6 tightagainst the nut.

The pressure of the spring upon the screw acts as a brake to hold the wrench from closing unless closed-by the operator. In. handling a Wrench, the movablejaw is as likely to get out of adjustment by closing as it.is bv moving in the opposite direction and in handling a wrench, if the screw is fre'e to rotate, it will frequently be rotated involuntarily by contactwith various things. When' the screw is deliberately rotated to close the wrench, the pawl slipping over the teeth upon the. screw will cause a clicking sound which will indicate to theoperator thatthe wrench is being closed.

When it is desired to move the jaw 6 back;

wardly, as for a larger nut, the tip of the first finger of the operator is pressed against pawl 18 from the teeth 14.. l- Y y ./Vhen the wrench is thus equipped, the adjusting jaw is always held firmly in its adjusted position and the adjusting Ascrew can only be rotated in the direction to tighten the jaw against the nut without first releasing the automatic lock.

The details of construction may be. varied in many Ways Without departing from the spiritvof my invention, as set up in the following claims and the principles `of my `in Y'venticn be (applied to 'many forms of Wrenches having an adjustable jaw controlled by a screw.

I claim- A l. In a` Wrench, a handle having a flat recessed side, a head rigid with the handle, a rigid jaw extending from the head; there being a dovetailed slot'in the head at right angles to the Working face of the rigid jaw and there being a rectangular opening through the head transversely of the dovetailed slot; an adjustable jaw, a dovetaile'd arm extending from the adjustable jaw and ttiiig in the dovetailed slot, said arm being notched to form a screw rack, an adjusting screw fitting in the rectangular opening in the head in mesh With the rack, the periphery of the screvsT thread upon the adjusting screw being transversely notched to form ratchet teeth,

and a fiat spring secured in the flat recess of the handle, the free end of the spring being bent to form an arm which extends through the rectangular opening in the head and to form a pawl upon the end of the arm which engages the teeth upon the periphery of the screw, said arm being long enough to allowl the spring to operate and the tension of the i against the teeth.

spring serving to hold the pawl yieldingly 2. In a-Wrench, a handle, a head rigid With the handle, a rigid jaw extending from the head, there being a dove-tailed slot in the head at right angles to the rigid jaw and there being an opening through the head transversely of the dove-tailed slot, an adjustable jaW, a dovetailed arm extending from the adjustable jaw and fitting in the slot, said arm being notched toform ascrew rack, an adjusting screw fitting in the opening in the head in mesh with the rack, the periphery of the screw thread upon the adjusting screw being transversely notched to form ratchet teeth, and a spring secured to one side of the handle, the free end of the spring being bent to form an arm which eX-v tends through the opening in the head to the other side of the handle and to form a pawl upon the end of the arm Whichengages the teeth upon the periphery of the screw, said arm being long enough to allow the spring to operate and the tension of the spring serving to hold the pawl yieldingly against the teeth A HAZEL B. BUSH.

Witnesses:

C. W. MINEh, F. H. PUGH.

Copies oi 4this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D. C. 

